Kenscoff
Kenscoff is an interior town located in the Western Department, part of the Port-au-Prince Arrondissement in Haiti. The southern part of the town is in the La Visite State Park. Route Departmentale 108 passes through the town. , Haiti]] Etymology Several hypotheses contradict each other as to the origin of the name of the municipality. One of them suggests that in 1797 an Englishman by the name of Kerenskoff was surrounded by Pétion in the heights of Pétion-Ville. After a few hours of fighting, he was abducted and deported under the orders of the Haitian general. It is the distortion of the name of this stranger that would have earned this region the Kenscoff name. According to Sémexan Rouzier, the name of Kenscoff comes from a Polish poacher adventurer, responding to Kerenskoff's name. He would have haunted the region, so much so that the army had to pursue him and put him out of harm's way during the War of Independence. , Haiti]] About The town of Kenscoff was founded in 1930 and raised to the rank of commune in 1934. Kenscoff has five communal sections. Close to 1,500 metres (4,500 ft) on the heights of Port-au-Prince, its terrain is mountainous with steep ridges that culminate in the valleys. Kenscoff enjoys a cool climate and is known for its vegetable production and the numerous luxury homes of wealthy Port-au-Princienne families. The inhabitants of this municipality bear the name of Kenscoffiens or Kenscovites. The municipality of Kenscoff is today a suburb of the capital Port-au-Prince. Geography According to the IHSI, Kenscoff occupies a land area of 202.76 square kilometers (78.29 square miles), of which 158.78 km² (78%) is rural, 43.52 km² (21%) is suburban, and 1.46 km² (1%) is urban. It is bounded on the north by Pétion-Ville, on the east by Croix-des-Bouquets, on the south by the Southeast Department towns of Belle-Anse and Marigot, including Jacmel on the southwest, and on the west by Carrefour. Located on the northern slope of the Saddle Mountain Range, between 600 meters (1,968 ft.; at Morne Calvaire around Pétion-Ville) and at more than 2,000 meters (6,562 ft.) above sea level (at Morne La Visite), the commune of Kenscoff is the steepest and the most mountainous commune of the Western Department. By its relief and its geographical position, Kenscoff offers superb panoramic views over the Port-au-Prince Bay and the Cul-de-Sac Plain. Demographics Women are the majority. They represent 51.2% of the population. At Kenscoff, the masculinity index is above the national average. •Spatial distribution of the population Compared to the surrounding communities, Kenscoff is relatively sparsely populated. •Density of population (hab / km2) Nouvelle Touraine 161.72 Sourçailles 350.55 Grand-Fond 188.07 Belle-Fontaine 110.51 Bongars 193.60 Town Center 3188.76 (Source: IHSI, RGPH 2003) At the 2015 General Population and Housing Census (RGPH), the Western Department with its 18 municipalities, had a population of 4,029,705 inhabitants. Nearly a quarter of this population (24%) lives in the municipality of Port-au-Prince. Delmas(20%) and Carrefour (13%) represent after the capital the most populated municipalities of the department. The commune of Kenscoff is ranked 14th out of 18 in terms of population with 50,000 inhabitants, including 5,000 in urban areas and 45,000 in rural areas. •Demographic pressure By its location on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville, Delmas and Carrefour, the municipality of Kenscoff is subject to significant demographic pressure, which is reflected in particular by the anarchic and uncontrolled construction. Demographic pressure on the metropolitan area will undoubtedly have an impact on the population density of the commune of Kenscoff which has the advantage of offering a quality of life (climate ...) more pleasant than in Port-au-Prince and in its near periphery (Pétion-Ville, Delmas ...). Overrall, at the commune level, there is a balance between the proportions of singles, partnered, and married people, around 30%. That said, there are deep distinctions between communal sections. Neighborhoods Climate Kenscoff is located at a height of 1500 meters. Average temperature of this place is lesser when compared to the climate at Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. It is quite cold during the winter months and wearing a jacket or a sweater, becomes necessary. The temperature ranges between 26 to 14 (78 to 57F) degrees centigrade. The coldest months are December, January and February. The climate is mountain type. It is very cool in December and mild in June. Temperature average varies between 15 ° C in February and 18.6 ° C in September, with a temperature gradient of 0.75 ° C per 100 m. In general, the average annual rainfall is 1,638 mm. From 1,600 to 2,000 mm / year: East of the city and in a part of the south-east of the commune. More than 2,000 mm / year: To the west from Kenscoff and south of the commune. Kenscoff knows two main seasons: • A rainy season, from April to November, during which falls 86.6% of total rainfall annual, • A dry season, from November to March, during which rainfall varies from 76.8 mm (November) to 18 mm (January). The table below shows the monthly precipitation changes in mm from the Kenscoff region. Topography The Kenscoff area is part of the morphological unit of the Massif de la Selle which culminates at Pic la Selle in 2,680 m (8,792 ft) of altitude and which constitutes the eastern part of the Tiburon Peninsula. The links of this massif have a general East-West orientation, there are two main morphological types: • a karstic morphology where crystalline limestones are exposed, • a morphology characterized by narrow ridges, ravined slopes, rugged terrain, chiseled by valleys in V, in volcanic regions. At Kenscoff, basalts and andesites predominate. Hard limestones and massive limestones also exist. The sedimentary series form the major part of the Massif, they correspond to two sets that follow each other from bottom to top: • A detrital base set consisting of conglomerate, volcanogenic sandstone, clay and impure limestones. This set is dated from the late Paleocene to the Eocene, • A thick limestone series, either chalky, with flint, in regular and thin beds, or massive and crystalline, be crushed by tectonic movements, dating from the lower Eocene. Hydrography Surface water: Grande Rivière Galette River Couleuvre River Redoute River Gribiche River Gray River (Rivière Grise) The Momance river has its source in the town of Kenscoff. It's the same for the Cold River (Rivière Froide) flowing into the Bay of Port-au-Prince thruough Carrefour. On the Kenscoff side, there are more than a dozen tributaries, the most important of which are: The Redoute River The Feça I ravine The Feça II gully The Ravine Derivière Grenier Gully The Ravine Gran Motte The Tojour Ravine La Jontière Ravine The Lali Ravine The Tête-Source Ravine The Grise River originates on the heights of the Massif de la Selle and flows near Jammeau in the bay of Port-au-Prince. It receives water from several sources including the source Cresson de Kenscoff. Erosion The erosion risk map below reflects a cruel reality; Kenscoff is subject to very serious erosion risks on about 2/3 of its territory. No communal section is immune. In the face of such a situation, the erosion is a serious threat to take into account. in the development plans of the municipality, especially at the level of construction. Landslides The most spectacular occurred in the area of Mahotière / Robin in 2006. At the time, the Office des Mines and Energy (BME) estimated the area occupied by the movement to be 27 hectares rectangle about 900 m long in the North-South direction and about 300 m wide. According to the BME report, the movement did not actually begin in August 2006 with the appearance of cracks on the road. This is a fairly slow movement that started several years and which manifested itself in August. Consequences of the landslide: About 250 people affected, about twenty houses destroyed, 16 planted earthquakes and unserviced roads. Quarries Two large sand quarries are operating on the road leading to Robin, they present rather tall foreheads. Deforestation The commune of Kenscoff is no exception to the rule. Wood is used as a source of domesticated energy. The consequences on the environment and therefore ultimately on humans are reflected in particular, in the drying up of springs, soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, etc. Economy For Economic and Financial Infrastructures, two large restaurants (and eight small), three reception centers, one credit union and seven centers of marketing cooperatives have been inventoried in the commune. Five large and mini-markets, fifty food stores, nine large shops, two depots, five pharmacies and two photocopiers constitute the economic and commercial establishments of the commune. Rural farmers sell their farm produce in the weekly markets. They have to walk for more than eight hours over the mountainous region of Seguin to sell farm fresh vegetables. Once they sell off their vegetables, they purchase fertilizer and seeds and return to Kenscoff traveling a distance of 20 kilometers. While some of the people walk all the distance to the market, there are others who use public transport at 4 am. Infrastructure According to the Haiti wealth map (2004 version), Kenscoff is ranked 75th (out of 145) for access to basic social services. On a scale of lesser to extremely low, Kenscoff is classified as having low access to basic social services. Transportation Many dirt roads connect the town with the rest of the places close by. Port-au-Prince International Airport is 14 kilometers from Kenscoff. Education In the field of education, the commune of Kenscoff is considered by the Haiti wealth map (2004 version) for its extremely poor access to basic education. The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is not represented in the commune of Kenscoff. Five Kindergaten (4 private and one congregational type), seven public, numerous private and one congregational were inventoried in the commune at the primary level. It has seven secondary schools, including one public and six private, three vocational schools and three literacy centers. School establishments 1st and 2nd cycle (Source: MENJS, March 2005)"" Secondary ''(Source: MENJS, March 2005) These data, which are to be taken conditionally because they do not take into account the schools, nevertheless show the inequalities that exist between the communal sections. Belle-Fontaine, Nouvelle Touraine and Bongars are really poor in terms of school infrastructure, especially when we take into account the issues of social and economic integration of youth. The breakdown of the levels of education by section communal highlights the gap between the rather urban section of Grand-Fond and other rather rural sections like Belle-Fontaine and Nouvelle-Touraine. The results are to be correlated with the lack or absence of infrastructures adapted to tomorrow's challenges of social and economic integration of youth. % children in school (Source: AMDLK Survey, 2007) Globally 60% of children in the municipality attend a school. Grand Fond makes a difference with an enrollment rate of 84%. The most remote communal sections are the worst off: Belle Fontaine (38%), New Touraine (50%). Especially since this table does not provide qualitative information on the teaching provided. School children in Belle-Fontaine spend an average of 1.5 hours on the road to get to school. The children of Bongars, Grand-Fond or Nouvelle-Touraine spend about 1 hour of time there. •Education Priorities Identified by Kenscoff Residents (Source: AMDLK Survey, 2007) The construction of schools meets the agreement of the majority of the people questioned. That is followed far behind by improving transport conditions and repairing already existing schools. Health The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the commune of Kenscoff. Seven health facilities were found in the commune equipped with several doctors, nurses, two dentists, and a laboratory technician. Utilities In terms of water availability, Kenscoff Township has seven springs and public fountains with six faucets, at the time of the inventory only two of them were functioning. Part of the city of Kenscoff, the 3rd communal section of Sourcing and the 4th communal section of Grand Fonds are electrified. http://www.gexperthaiti.com/haiti/Site/Communes.htm Security At the level of the Administrative and Judicial Infrastructures, the commune of Kenscoff has a police station, a court of peace and a registry office. There is a prison with a strength of five prisoners. Culture Leisure' The main "attraction" is the church. Leisure (Source: AMDLK Survey, 2007) It should be noted that the practice of sport boils down to football which is mostly played at Grand Fond, Bongars and Sourcing, that is where there is infrastructure (football field). The same communal sections stand out clearly in regard to other leisure activities. Being the only three to place reading at the head of leisure. These are also the three sections which are more easily in contact with the urban center, and therefore with the recreational infrastructures. Government Three Mayors, one incumbent and two deputies forming the Council, were elected on March 22, 2007 with the will to make Kenscoff "a model city" Culture Religion On the side of religion, 28 temples (chapels included) were enumerated in the commune. Catholic churches are the most numerous, ten in total. The Catholic religion seems to predominate in the majority of communal sections, in front of the Protestants, except at Grand-Fond. Leisure As for Leisure, the commune of Kenscoff has two libraries and a museum. It has neither a theater nor cinema. Football (soccer), basketball and karate are the three sports mainly practiced in the municipality. Seven night clubs and three gaguères were counted in the commune. The town has no monuments and tourist sites, however it has several places considered as places of meeting and relaxation where the population meets for entertainment and / or sometimes dialogue. The community of Kenscoff is a vibrant one as a rich mix of population stays here. Nightlife is vivid, despite the small size of this region. A large number of nocturnal social establishments are concentrated in Kenscoff due to which an increase in nightlife is seen. Communication The commune has a telephone office, a postal office and a radio station. Organizations Three political parties have representation in the commune of Kenscoff. There are also four grassroots organizations, two farmer groups and two non-governmental organizations. References kc100.jpg|House in Kenscoff kc106.png|Street scene; center of town kc107.jpg|House in Kenscoff kc108.jpg kc109.jpg|Houses in Kenscoff, Haiti Kc111.jpg kc112.jpg|Neighbors in Kenscoff Kc110.jpg kc114.jpg|View of Port-au-Prince from Kenscoff Route kc117.jpg Michael Vedrine Category:Ouest, Haiti Category:Port-au-Prince Arrondissement